EV vs petrol cost calculator

Compare the yearly fuel cost of a petrol car with the electricity cost of an EV for the same driving distance. The result shows yearly and average monthly costs and their difference. This is an energy comparison, rather than a full cost of owning either vehicle.

Choose the country version that matches your units. Enter annual miles and imperial mpg for the UK, or kilometres and litres per 100 km for Australia. For the EV, enter kWh per 100 km and charging losses. Add the share bought from public chargers and its price. The rest uses the home electricity price.

UK petrol litres = annual miles ÷ imperial mpg × 4.54609. Australian petrol litres = annual km × litres per 100 km ÷ 100. EV metered energy = distance in km × kWh per 100 km ÷ 100 ÷ (1 − charging loss share). Multiply by the home/public charging mix. Compare fuel and electricity only.

Use a percentage as a fraction once: for example, 50% means 50 ÷ 100 = 0.5. Use 0.5 in the energy formula; do not divide it by 100 again.

For the UK EV calculation, miles are converted to kilometres before applying kWh per 100 km. An imperial gallon is different from a US gallon, so do not use US mpg in the UK fuel field. Petrol price is pounds or dollars per litre, rather than pence or cents.

Electricity prices are pence or cents per kWh and are divided by 100 to get pounds or dollars. The same loss figure applies across home and public charging. An average month is one twelfth of the yearly total. It repeats your driving pattern and does not forecast a particular month’s journeys.

These illustrative inputs are separate from your saved answers. Prices, use and performance are held constant for this worked scenario; they are not personal defaults.

Check whether the EV consumption figure already includes charging losses. A dashboard driving figure and a billed charger reading can cover different parts of the energy path. Do not add the same losses twice. Use a loss assumption that matches your chosen consumption figure.

The public charging share applies to all charging energy. Enter zero when all charging is at home, or the full share when all is public. Prices, consumption and driving distance stay constant for the yearly illustration. Actual weather, traffic and driving style can change both cars’ energy use.

Purchase price, depreciation, insurance, tax, servicing and public charging fees are outside this result. The tool cannot decide which vehicle suits your journeys or predict resale values. Use comparable driving conditions when entering the two vehicles’ consumption. Displayed money is rounded; calculations keep unrounded values. Missing personal figures are not replaced with example values.

Australian defaults use the actual flat electricity usage prices published for the AER DMO zones and the Victorian Default Offer, including GST. They are not annual reference bills divided by use. Other states and time-of-use plans need your bill prices. Existing supply charges are excluded. Enter actual petrol and public charging prices.

Check the dated source links before using a published electricity rate. A stored flat rate may not match your charging hours. Use your bill price when that gives a closer match. Home, public and petrol prices should all include applicable tax. A source check does not verify your mileage or a vehicle’s real-world consumption.

Ask the vehicle maker or an energy adviser if the efficiency units or charging-loss basis are unclear. Bring the specification sheet and any measured charging records. Keep home and public billing units clear when discussing the estimate.

Ask a qualified installer about home charger suitability, connection limits and installation cost before buying. Use purchase and insurance quotes for a wider ownership comparison. This fuel-cost result does not confirm that a charger can be safely installed or that either vehicle fits your needs.